Hanging
Out With The Wrong Crowd
Hanging out with the wrong crowd can get you into big trouble. In fact, a
large study done by the University of Minnesota showed that "hanging
out" with friends was the biggest predictor of risky behavior in the youth.
In the past, I have always believed that kids from broken homes and single
parent families were the high-risk group. But this study showed that
"hanging out" with friends was the common denominator. Whether a youth
lived with one parent or two, regardless of their race or income, hanging out
unsupervised will get kids into trouble.
Of coarse, God knew this generations ago. He left us many scriptures warning
us of the dangers of wrong company. Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you,
do not go along with them Proverbs 1:10 (Message). It is impossible to
consistently hang out with the wrong crowd and not pick up some of their habits.
Can two walk together except they be agreed? (see Amos 3:3). The best
thing is to withdraw yourself from bad company.
Even though hanging out with friends greatly impact the choices of most
youth, it does not mean that parents and family do not matter. The study showed
that youth who are close to their parents were less likely to get into risky
behavior like sex and drugs. But as youth spent more and more time "hanging
out" with friends, they were three to eight times more likely to get
trapped into a risky lifestyle.
I believe that children of single parents are at a disadvantage, but they are
far from hopeless or doomed. The study showed only a two percent difference the
teens from single parent and two parent homes. The quality of the relationship
mattered much more than wealth, the number of parents or race.
Parents should be aware of whom their kids hang out with and how they spend
their unsupervised time. If they hang out with friends who smoke and drink, most
likely they will do the same thing. As parents involve themselves in the lives
of their children, they will be able to help steer them clear of the traps that
harm them.
By: Edmund Brown